


Rockabye

by Lanceeselhombre



Series: Voltron Regression Stories [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crying, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, Infantilism, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pacifiers, caregiver!Shiro, little!Keith, motherfigure!Allura
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-22 13:43:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13765362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lanceeselhombre/pseuds/Lanceeselhombre
Summary: Keith secretly saw Allura as a mother figure, but he didn’t tell anyone. She didn’t have to be fawning over him like the rest of the paladins did, because the princess simply existing was much more of a mother than he’d ever had. She was a living, breathing person. She talked with him when he was big (he didn’t say much beyond names while little) and was always somewhere in the castle, where he knew where she was.That was enough.Being left with her during paladin training felt like a blessing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

“Can you watch Keith for me?”

Allura blinked at the black paladin, who was standing in front of her in the control deck’s doorway, fully dressed in his paladin armor. He had a satchel bag over one shoulder and on his other hip he was holding the boy he was asking about.

Keith was dressed in a pair of black sweat pants and a loose red t-shirt, a common outfit for the teen when he was feeling little. His trademark pacifier wasn’t in his mouth, probably tucked away somewhere in his bag, but he seemed calm without it.

It wasn’t unusual for the princess to see the red paladin like this around the castle, either playing with children’s toys or sleeping against another paladin’s side. Since she’d learned about her teammate’s littler side about three movements ago, such displays became frequent, actually.

However, she’d never been asked to care for him in this state, especially not on her own.

“I have to find a new hiding place from Zarkon. I will be busy.” Allura explained, almost using her responsibility as an excuse for why she couldn’t watch the boy. Not that she had anything against him- not anymore- but she wasn’t experienced with young children or...regressed human teenagers. She could do something wrong and without another person in the room she would have no help in such a case.

Shiro gave her a sympathetic smile. “I know, but please? Keith’s already had lunch and he’s been changed so he won’t be much of a problem. He just needs someone to watch him.” The man said.

Somehow, Allura didn’t find the lack of need for responsibility assuring. “I’m not sure I would be a very good caretaker.” She pointed out bluntly, seeing that subtle excuses wouldn’t work.

“Anyone can be a good caretaker.” Shiro replied gently. “I’ve seen you play with children from different planets. It’s the same thing.”

The princess looked at him skeptically, aware that Keith could be much more high maintenance than a kid looking for a playmate. She’d bore witness to tantrums and crying fits that seemed to stem from nothing (granted they weren’t very common, but they still happened) and she’d seen how clingy and fussy he could become after missions. If those instances were anything to go by, this would not be the same thing as playing with an ordinary child.

Even though she didn’t respond verbally, the Black paladin continued to plead his case, seeing that she was having her doubts. “Please?” He asked, tilting his head to the side like a puppy.

The princess sighed. “Fine.” She agreed, giving in to the pilot. Realistically, she knew she could contact the paladins if something went out of hand. That bit of information was comforting to her. She couldn’t truly screw up with five experienced caregivers on speed dial right?

Shiro grinned happily once she agreed. “Thank you Allura. Just let me get him settled so I can get to training.” He said as he stepped further into the room, gently sitting the baby in his arms on the floor near Allura’s controls. The man set the bag down a few feet away from him and pulled a small stuffed lion out of it, handing it to the boy.

Keith took the toy from Shiro and held it to his chest, contently rubbing his face against the soft fabric of the lion. The black paladin gently ruffled the red paladin’s hair, making him giggle and putting a smile on the man’s own face.

“I have to do some boring adult things, so you gotta stay with Allura.” Shiro explained slowly, making sure the little understood what he was saying. “She knows where I am if you need me. Be good for her, okay?”

Keith nodded obediently, carefully resting his lion in his lap in favor of reaching out to his caregiver for a hug. Unable to deny him, Shiro knelt down and embraced the boy, then pulled away and stood after a few seconds.

“I’ll come get him after training. Thank you again.” The man said as he walked towards Allura again. “I’ve got to get going before I’m late.”

Allura nodded in understanding. “I will contact you should anything happen.” She was hoping she wouldn’t need to call though. She was holding onto that ‘be good for her’ request and hoping it would get her through the next few hours with Keith.

Shiro nodded. “See you later.” He said before he left, the door closing behind him, leaving the princess with her regressed teammate.

Allura sighed after he left, mentally preparing herself for whatever she might have to deal with before the end of paladin training. She was expecting a tantrum at some point and lots of fussing, either because Keith would get bored or because he would miss Shiro or Lance and want to be with them.

However, when she looked over at the boy he was the opposite of fussy, sitting where he’d been put down and playing contently with his plushie.

The princess turned her focus away from him and stepped up to her controls, pulling up the map of the universe. She needed to get started on finding a new location for the ship.

She wondered how long Keith’s calm would last.

*****

When Keith was put down on the floor and Shiro left him with Allura, he didn’t complain at all. If he’d been left with Pidge, Coran, or maybe even Hunk, he would have been a bit more disgruntled at one of his preferred caregivers leaving, but not with the princess.

Unbeknownst to the others, he’d begun to think of Allura as a mother figure. He’d never had a mother because his birth mom left before he could remember her, which left a hole in his heart. There were lots of other holes too, but most of them were filled with the attention he got when he was little. But the paladins were all males, except Pidge, who wasn’t very womanly, much less motherly. Which left that last hole sadly untouched.

That was, until Allura started getting along with him. It took some time after they learned he was part Galra, but once she got past that part and they were able to be friends again he saw the person in her he’d been longing for a long time.

He still hadn’t told anyone, though. Allura was still knew to the concept of regression and he was afraid she might reject him if he brought it up too soon. Heck, she was hesitant to even be responsible for him, he couldn’t imagine she’d be ready for the idea of becoming a parental figure to him.

Keith was perfectly happy to keep it to himself, because Allura could still be his mom in his mind. She didn’t have to be fawning over him like the rest of the paladins did, because the princess simply existing was much more of a mother than he’d ever had. She was a living, breathing person. She talked with him when he was big (he didn’t say much beyond names while little) and was always somewhere in the castle, where he knew where she was.

That was enough.

Being left with her during paladin training felt like a blessing.

The baby sat next to her, quiet and happy, while he hugged his lion. He had plenty of other toys tucked away in his diaper bag, but he didn’t want any of them. He wasn’t in the mood to play right now.

He was in a much more cuddly mood. But Allura was busy, she couldn’t stop and cuddle, and he didn’t think she would pick him up just because he asked for it.

But then he thought of a plan; what if he acted he was getting sleepy? Whenever he took a nap in a place with no suitable furniture one of his caregivers would carry him. Allura should do the same thing!

Suddenly excited- but trying to hide it- the boy loosened his grip on his lion, allowing her to rest limply in his lap. If he wanted his act to be believable he had to act like he was really, really tired, because he knew he preferred to stay awake most of the time.

After a moment of sitting in his lax position, he faked a wide yawn and rubbed at his eyes. Figuring that was enough acting, he leaned over to the princess and gently tugged on her dress, purposefully weak and subtle.

Immediately, Allura looked down at him. He stared up at her with half lidded eyes, waiting for her to ask what he wanted before he would ask for sleep.

“Do you need something Keith?” The Altean wondered, making the red paladin’s heart practically burst with joy.

As soon as she asked, Keith curled his pointer finger and tapped its knuckle against his mouth twice, telling her he wanted his pacifier. He could never sleep without it. If he didn’t ask for it first he would blow his own cover.

Allura recognized the sign and pulled over his bag, crouching down to dig his pacifier out of the front pocket. Once she found it she gently pressed the object to his lips and he latched on immediately, going lax at being given one of his favorite things by his imagined mother figure.

“Is there anything else?” The princess asked, which made the baby melt. He nodded and dragged his palm down his face, splaying and then pinching his fingers together through the motion. That sign meant he was sleepy and he needed a nap.

Recognizing the second sign as well, Allura reached back into his bag and pulled out a blanket. Keith’s caregivers usually wrapped him in it to keep him warm, but she laid him down and gave it to him as a pillow. He didn’t complain, because he wasn’t cold and he would prefer the cushioning under his head when he was on the floor. He could probably sleep like this if he really wanted to.

But that wasn’t his plan, so he kept his eyes open after Allura turned back to the controls, preventing himself from accidentally drifting off. He stayed quiet for another few minutes, feigning attempting to sleep, shifting in false discomfort every so often. When he thought it had been long enough he gave a sleepy-sounding mumble and reached for Allura’s dress again, softly tugging it.

When the princess looked down to him again he reached up for her, finally asking for what he’d been building up to this whole time.

In response, Allura smiled at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry Keith, I’m busy. I can’t hold you right now.” She said softly, lifting her hands a little higher to show him she was using both hands to do her job.

Immediately, all the goey happiness Keith had been feeling drained away and he frowned behind his pacifier, tears suddenly welling up in his eyes. That small rejection hurt a lot. Part of him, the more logical part of him, knew that it wasn’t a big deal, especially because Allura had already essentially tucked him in for a nap and he was just being fussy. But that part of him was very small at the moment, and his more conscious mind could only think about how much he wanted to be picked up and held, but he couldn’t have that.

Within seconds, his tears devolved to inconsolable sobs and wails. He wasn’t even attempting to guilt trip Allura into picking him up after all, he was genuinely upset and hurt that she didn’t have time to spare for him.

Then, in a sudden slip of his tongue, he called out for the Altean princess, accidentally using the wrong name.

“Mama!” The baby sobbed, still holding out his arms to be picked up.

After the first slip, he didn’t bother holding himself back. “M-mam-a!” He wailed, his voice cracking as his pacifier fell out of his mouth from all of his fussing.

Keith didn’t realize he’d been lifted off the floor until he was resting against a soft, warm chest. A gentle hand cupped the back of his head and guided it into the crook of a shoulder, remaining there to hold and cradle his skull.

The boy felt so overwhelmed that Allura had given in and picked him up that all he could do was wail into her shoulder and cling to her frame tightly. The princess simply let him cry, offering small comforts like occasional shushing and the running of her fingers through his hair, which he appreciated so much it only made him cry harder.

Keith continued to babble for her even as he lay in her arms, his words too watery and jumbled to be understood. She gently shushed every word, and soon his wailing quieted to sniffles and teary eyes.

When the baby finally came down from his fit he melted into the gooey feeling of happiness he’d had before he got rejected. Allura’s embrace was warmer than any of his human teammates, she was incredibly soft and not-bony despite how skinny she was. Surprisingly, he could hear her heartbeat even from his head’s place on her shoulder, strong and steady like the rhythm beating against his chest.

Once Allura was sure Keith was calm again she crouched down to grab his forgotten pacifier and wiped it off on her dress, then offered it to him. He took it happily and began to nurse on the plastic, already beginning to feel himself fall asleep seconds later.

Keith shifted his head until he found the point on her shoulder where her heartbeat was the strongest. Only then did he relax completely, finally falling asleep after only a few more seconds.

The last thing he remembered before he drifted off was the sound of her heartbeat.

*****

Needless to say, Allura had been shocked to see Keith crying and sobbing after how calm and relaxed he’d been since Shiro left. She thought he would be fine, that he would take a nap and sleep through the rest of paladin training. She would admit, she did feel bad denying Keith when he asked to be picked up, but she thought he’d be fine. He couldn’t always be held by someone, so he shouldn’t be very upset by it, right?

But apparently she’d been wrong.

Allura was already going to give into the red paladin’s wails before he began calling for her, and as soon as she heard the first wobbly ‘mama’ leave his mouth she snatched him off the floor. She may not have had much experience with kids, but how could she refuse such an upset little boy?

Keith calmed surprisingly easy after that, probably happy to have been picked up and soothed by her shushing him and playing with his hair.

He fell asleep even faster, causing a smile to spread across her face.

After that, she couldn’t bare to put him down, so she made do with one hand for the next few hours.

**********

Several days afterwards, when Keith was back in his adult mind, he was struggling to sort through all the emotions running through his head. The happiness and sadness were easy, but the harsh feeling of abandonment he felt upon being rejected and the subsequent feeling of security he felt after Allura responded to him were more difficult.

He wanted to be happy, because Allura has picked him up after he called her his ‘mama.’ That meant she was okay with being his mom right? But what if she picked him up just because she couldn’t bear to hear him cry? Or if it was because he was annoying her?

At the very least, he knew that last one wasn’t true. He’s seen Allura annoyed; she didn’t have the capacity to be as soft as she’d been with him while she felt like that.

Yet, no matter how much he thought the situation over, he could never figure it out for himself; was Allura okay with being his mother figure, or not?

Eventually, he came to the conclusion that he had to talk to her and ask her in person, even if he didn’t want to. What better place to get information than from the original source?

***

Allura was in the mess hall talking with Shiro when Keith found her. He was happy she was distracted, as it gave him some time to stall and think about what he wanted to say. It wasn’t much time though, as the princess noticed him out of the corner of her eyes and glanced over to him.

Figuring he might as well get the conversation over with, Keith motioned her over and stepped into the hallway, where he would talk to her without Shiro overhearing. (Although the thought crossed his mind that Shiro already knew and was told at some point while he was asleep, but he would prefer to play it safe.)

After a few minutes, the princess joined him in the hallway. Keith suddenly felt extremely flustered wanting to talk to her, and he wanted to back out and leave, but he knew his little side would suffer if he ignored this.

“Do you need something Keith?” She asked, using the same words from a few days ago, causing the teen’s heart to ache.

It took him a moment to work up the courage to speak. “Uh...about when you watched me for paladin training…” He started. “...thank you.”

That wasn’t quite what he wanted to say, but oh well.

Allura smiled softly. “You’re welcome Keith, but there’s no need to thank me. You were upset, it would have been wrong to leave you to cry on the floor.” She said. “Was something wrong?”

“W-well, nothing was _wrong_ really.” Keith stuttered. “I just...didn’t have a mom growing up and...you’re a lot like a mom to me….I guess little me got hung up on that and had a fit.” He tried to explain, his face flushing a dark pink as he admitted how he saw the Altean princess.

Allura’s smile grew. “Oh, Keith that’s so sweet.” She said. “I’m sorry about that. It must have been horrible to grow up without a mother.” She sympathized, remembering her own past with her late mother.

Keith hummed bashfully. “Yeah, I never had a mother, but I’ve always wanted one.” He admitted, his face growing hotter.

“And I'm assuming you want me to be your ‘mama?’” The princess asked, a slight tease in her voice as she copied the exact name he’d called her.

Relieved he didn’t actually have to say the words, Keith nodded. “Yes?” He asked, waiting impatiently for her answer.

Allura cupped his cheek and kissed his forehead. “Yes, I will baby.”


	2. Mama's clingy little boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to return to this and give it some more chapters. Hope you guys enjoy :)

Allura and Keith had been cuddling for the majority of the morning, and by the time lunch came around Allura had to hand the baby off to someone else and attend to the ship. She had to check that all the systems were working properly, supervise the ship’s autopilot to their new destination, have a meeting with a potential coalition partner...lots of stuff that she would need her full focus for. Once one of the paladins came to get Keith she would go get everything done, then she could be back to learning how to take care of the little by dinner. 

 

A few minutes later, Shiro walked into the room and greeted Allura as he walked towards the couch she and Keith were laying on. He then crouched down to Keith’s level, offering the baby a warm smile. “Hey sweetheart. Feeling hungry yet?” He asked. 

 

Keith lifted his head off of Allura’s chest to nod. In response to the man’s question, the boy suckled more strongly on his pacifier and looked up at him expectantly. 

 

Shiro smiled fondly at that. “Why don’t we go get something to eat then? Does that sound good?” He prompted, causing the child to nod. He stood and reached down to lift the boy up from under his arms. “Alright, lets go.” He said. 

 

Keith shrunk into Allura as Shiro got a hold on him, which was common for the little whenever he had to leave a cuddle session, so it didn’t deter the man. However, when the black paladin picked the baby up and sat him on his hip, he suddenly tensed and wailed. 

 

Both Shiro and Allura jumped in shock and surprise, having not expected such a sudden and intense reaction from him. Shiro was the first to react, gently bouncing the boy and cooing words of assurance to calm him. “Hey, hey. It’s alright kiddo. What’s wrong?” He asked softly, wondering what had happened that made him so upset. 

 

Keith squirmed in Shiro’s arms and shook his head vigorously. He twisted around to face Allura and reached for her, his wails escalating to wracking sobs. 

 

The princess practically jumped to her feet to take the distressed boy back, gently patting his back and shushing his cries as he clung to her. “Everything’s gonna be okay sweetie. Mama’s got you.” She cooed. 

 

Keith continued to wail. After a moment of coddling and cooing from Allura he finally calmed, his cries becoming upset little noises as he buried his face in the woman’s shoulder. The Altean stayed quiet for a few minutes after, letting the boy relax. 

 

When the baby seemed like he’d recovered from his fit, she spoke up. “What happened sweetheart? Why were you crying?” Allura asked softly, wondering what could have possibly set him off. 

 

“Stay!” Keith demanded, seemingly ignoring her question. 

 

Allura was about to ask him again when Shiro cut in. “Did you want to stay with mama? Did you get upset because I took you away from her?” He offered, understanding the boy’s short utterance much better than she could herself. 

 

Shiro has hit the nail on the head. Keith whimpered at the thought of being taken away from the princess and nodded. 

 

The black paladin cooed apologetically. “Oh, I’m sorry kiddo. I didn’t mean to make you upset.” He gently ran the fingers of his flesh hand through the child’s hair, causing him to relax a bit more. “Forgive me?” 

 

Keith hesitated for a moment before he nodded and reached to the man for a hug. Shiro wrapped his arms around the boy and pressed a kiss to his forehead, eliciting a small giggle. 

 

“So what am i supposed to do? I can’t bring him with me to a meeting.” Allura asked, conflicted. She didn’t want to make Keith cry again by giving him to Shiro, but she also couldn’t bring him along with her, lest he get fussy and interrupt something important. 

 

Shiro hummed, thinking. Suddenly, thought of an idea and leaned in closer to whisper in her ear, “Settle him down for a nap, and I’ll watch him while he sleeps.” 

 

When he pulled away Allura nodded, on board with the plan. Shiro smiled, then turned to the baby and stroked his cheek with his thumb, causing the boy to look up at him. “Taka is gonna go get your lunch so Mama can feed you, okay?” He said, waiting until Keith nodded to leave the room to get his food. 

 

While Allura waited for him to return, she slowly paced around the room and bounced Keith in her arms, trying to make him sleepy. She felt the boy lay his head on her collarbone, but couldn’t see if his eyes had closed. Either way, she rubbed his back and hummed softly, figuring the little extra comfort couldn’t hurt. 

 

Shiro returned a few moments later with a bottle in his hand. He saw the little resting and grinned, giving Allura a thumbs up. He wordlessly handed over the bottle so as not to disturb Keith too much. 

 

The princess took the bottle and gently pressed it to the boy’s lips, and he accepted it without a fuss, the muted sound of him suckling filling the air. The boy’s body grew limp and heavy as he fell asleep, the rhythm of his nursing begging to slow and eventually dwindling to a stop as the bottle was emptied. 

 

Allura gently pulled the teat from his mouth and replaced it with one of his pacifiers, hoping that the comfort object would help him to stay asleep. She carefully walked over to the couch and laid the baby down on it, then wrapped him up nice and snug in his blanket. Thankfully, he didn’t wake up as he was moved around. 

 

Shiro patted the woman on the back in praise. “Good job. I would get going now if you want to be back before he wakes up.” The black paladin whispered. 

 

Allura nodded. “I’ll be back in two varga.” She said before she left to get her duties done. 


End file.
